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Morris' Strict Curfew Hits Cruisers In The Gut

When Doug Hayse was growing up in Morris, Friday nights were a time he could get into a car with his friends and cruise up and down busy Liberty Street.

"We used to call it `buzzin' the gut' " said Hayse. "Maybe that's because it's our main street, the `gut' of the town.

"Buzzin' the gut" along the length of Liberty Street has been an unwritten tradition for youths growing up in Morris. But as the years wore on, more people have congregated on the street for longer hours.

Now, Hayse is the Morris police chief, and this week his officers began enforcing a new and strict city ordinance that imposes a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew for youths under age 16. Those between 16 and 19 can stay out until 10 p.m.

This will be the first weekend that the curfew will hit the mobile brigade of automobiles that zoom up and down the street from the courthouse area in the 100 block to the north end of town and Interstate Highway 80.

It used to be that the `gut' extended four to five blocks, but greater traffic demanded more space to roam. And nowadays, Liberty Street can look as busy as Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

"The downtown area is saturated with teens on Friday night," said Hayse. "They drive bumper-to-bumper blocking intersections, squealing their tires, and causing accidents when they cut each other off."

Not only that, but teens walk up and down Liberty Street in great numbers, said Hayse. Sometimes, that leads to broken windows, fights and damage to cars and businesses.

There are exceptions to the curfew for youths who work or those on the way home from school or church functions. And Hayse, who has spent 34 of his 35 years in town, says his department will have a lot of discretion when it comes to enforcing the ordinance.

"If your son or daughter is standing on the street after the movie gets out at 10 p.m. and waiting for a ride home, that won't be a problem," said Hayse. "But if your kid draws attention to himself by the way he wears a cap, or swearing or running out into the street, we'll deal with it."

At the heart of the new ordinance is a fear that ever-mobile street gangs could infiltrate the community of 10,000.

Parents or guardians of those taken into custody will be notified. A complaint will be filed and a court date set.

Hayse says he's gotten mixed reviews from residents. "Some people say it's about time you did something, but I've got parents who say our kids don't have anything to do in Morris anyway," he said.

The ordinance, the chief insists, is aimed at troublemakers both in and out of town. And like most residents of the community, he believes outsiders are behind it all.

"Most of the problems come from Coal City, Ottawa, Yorkville, Minooka and other towns," Hayse said. "But I guess they come to our town and we go to theirs. I've been told by police chiefs in the other towns that most of their weekend problems come from kids driving from Morris."